So happy for her!
Imagine having to live in a strange place for nearly four decades without ever meeting anyone; how a.w.ful would that be?
Mila, a 41-year-old elephant, was kept as a solitary elephant in a circus for over 30 years before being adopted by the Franklin Zoo in New Zealand.
Before that, Mila’s former keeper, Helen Schofield, was cr.ushed to de.ath by Mila in an ac.cid.ent in 2012. The tr.agic incident prompted zoo supporters to launch a fun.dra.ising campaign in the hopes of raising enough fun.ds to relocate Mila to a zoo with other African elephants.
Backers raised [$] 1.5 million, which allowed Mila to be relocated from New Zealand to the San Diego Zoo. Six African and Indian elephants, ranging in age from 33 to 49 years, are already present.
Mila’s keepers were concerned about her ability to blend in with her kind after such a long time!
They decided to introduce Mila to an elephant first, Mary was the best choice because she was a dominant elephant in the herd, relatively calm, and had a good record of meeting newcomers.
Fortunately, Mary approached Mila, and the two began eating from the same tree. This is an excellent behavior to observe because they are both calm and accepting of one another!
This touching video of the meeting has touched many hearts; Mary is intrigued by the new person, while Mila is tak.en aback to discover something as large as herself on the other side of the wall!
Finally, the two new friends wrapped their bodies through the wire fence as if they were performing an intimate act of greeting!
We can learn so much from them if we only listen and observe.
So happy for Mila that she has returned to her own species. That is truly priceless!